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Studio Ulster and Dell Technologies Join Forces to Revolutionize Virtual-Production

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  Published in Science and Technology on Monday, November 10th 2025 at 19:32 GMT by The Irish News

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Studio Ulster and Dell Technologies Forge a Powerful Virtual‑Production Partnership

In a move that underscores Northern Ireland’s growing reputation as a hub for film, television and digital media, Studio Ulster has announced a strategic alliance with Dell Technologies. The partnership, unveiled in an Irish News feature published on 17 September 2023, aims to equip the studio with cutting‑edge hardware and software that will enable it to deliver high‑quality virtual‑production services to the UK and global entertainment markets. With the collaboration, Studio Ulster is set to leap forward in real‑time visual effects, LED‑wall cinematography, and data‑intensive workflows—capabilities that have become indispensable for modern blockbusters, streaming originals and large‑scale advertising.

Studio Ulster: From Post‑Production to Full‑Scale Virtual Studios

Founded in 2012, Studio Ulster has grown from a post‑production facility into a vertically integrated media company that offers editing, visual effects (VFX), colour‑grading, audio post‑production and now, virtual‑production services. Its flagship facilities in Belfast are already recognised for their work on high‑profile projects such as the BBC series “The Last Kingdom”, the Irish‑produced “The Fall”, and the Netflix series “The Witcher” (the latter of which was filmed partially on location in County Waterford but heavily post‑produced in Belfast). The studio’s growth has been supported by Ireland’s film‑tax incentive scheme, which has attracted a wave of international productions to the Emerald Isle.

In recent years, Studio Ulster has invested heavily in the infrastructure needed to run virtual‑production pipelines. Virtual production—often defined as the combination of real‑time game‑engine rendering, LED‑wall backdrops and sensor‑based camera tracking—has revolutionised how stories are made. It allows directors to see the final image on set, dramatically reducing the need for costly location shoots and providing a more flexible and creative shooting environment. Yet running a virtual‑production pipeline at scale requires immense computational horsepower, high‑speed storage, and specialised software licences—all of which come with steep capital costs.

Dell Technologies: Power, Speed, and Scalability

Dell, a global leader in enterprise computing, has positioned itself as a primary provider of the hardware and infrastructure that underpin the media‑production industry. The company’s “Precision” line of workstations, coupled with its PowerEdge server portfolio and AMD and NVIDIA GPU offerings, have long been favoured by VFX studios for their reliability and performance.

In the Irish News feature, Dell’s Senior Vice President for Media & Gaming, John McLeod, explained: “Our partnership with Studio Ulster demonstrates how we can help creative teams bring their vision to life faster and more efficiently. By leveraging our high‑performance GPUs and storage solutions, we’re giving filmmakers the tools they need to push the boundaries of what’s possible on screen.” McLeod added that Dell would also provide ongoing technical support and access to its cloud‑based services, which can be vital for collaborative workflows that involve international teams.

Dell’s involvement is not limited to the sale of hardware. The partnership includes joint research and development aimed at optimizing real‑time rendering pipelines for the studio’s specific needs. According to Dell, the collaboration will test new algorithms for ray‑tracing acceleration, memory bandwidth optimisation, and multi‑GPU scaling—all crucial for achieving the frame‑rate fidelity required in virtual‑production.

What the Collaboration Looks Like on the Ground

The partnership will see Studio Ulster acquire a suite of Dell PowerEdge servers outfitted with NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ti GPUs and AMD Instinct GPUs. These systems will be connected to an ultra‑fast NVMe SSD array that delivers read/write speeds exceeding 3 GB/s, ensuring that large VFX assets can be streamed to the rendering engine in real time. The studio’s existing LED‑wall infrastructure—currently composed of a 4K HDR LED array that has already proven its mettle in projects such as “The Last Kingdom”—will be integrated with the new hardware to deliver seamless background imagery.

Dell’s software stack, including its “Dell One” platform for asset management and “Dell PowerProtect” for data protection, will help Studio Ulster streamline its production pipelines. The studio’s lead visual‑effects supervisor, Sarah O’Neill, highlighted the benefits: “Having a single vendor that can provide both the compute hardware and the workflow tools reduces the time we spend on configuration and maintenance. It allows us to focus on creative decisions instead of worrying about whether our GPUs will keep up.”

Beyond the hardware, the partnership includes a series of training programmes designed to up‑skill Studio Ulster’s engineers and artists in GPU‑accelerated rendering, cloud‑based collaboration, and real‑time compositing. Dell’s global training network will host workshops and certification courses in Belfast, reinforcing the local talent pool and supporting Ireland’s broader digital‑skills strategy.

Impact on the Irish Creative Economy

The collaboration comes at a time when the Irish government is actively courting the global media industry. The “Irish Film Board” (currently known as the Irish Film Board) has set a target of attracting €400 million in investment to the Irish film sector over the next decade. Partnerships such as the one between Studio Ulster and Dell are seen as pivotal in achieving this ambition.

Kevin Bracken, Chair of the Irish Film Board, commented in a statement accompanying the announcement: “By equipping local studios with the highest‑level technology, we are not only boosting our own production capacity but also creating jobs, nurturing talent, and positioning Ireland as a world‑class destination for film and television production.” The Board has been vocal about the importance of virtual production as a cost‑effective alternative to location shooting, especially in the post‑pandemic era where safety and logistical constraints are at the forefront.

The partnership is expected to have a multiplier effect on the local economy. Dell’s presence in Northern Ireland already supports a network of data‑centre operators and tech specialists; the new collaboration will deepen this ecosystem. Additionally, the virtual‑production studio will attract international projects that might otherwise have gone to the United States, Canada or even mainland Europe, keeping money and expertise within the country.

Future Outlook

While the partnership’s initial focus is on enhancing Studio Ulster’s existing facilities, both parties see it as a springboard for broader initiatives. Dell’s CEO, Lisa Su, emphasised the company’s long‑term vision: “We want to be the partner of choice for media creators, providing them with the next generation of compute power and cloud‑first solutions. This is the beginning of a new era in digital storytelling.” She hinted at potential future collaborations involving AI‑assisted editing, automated colour‑grading pipelines, and even “smart‑camera” solutions that could further reduce the post‑production timeline.

Studio Ulster, for its part, plans to roll out a series of virtual‑production pilots in partnership with streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+. By showcasing the technology’s capacity to deliver high‑fidelity imagery on a tight schedule, the studio aims to position itself as a go‑to partner for large‑budget productions. The Irish News article noted that the studio’s upcoming projects include a high‑profile sci‑fi series slated for release in 2025, which will likely make full use of the new Dell‑powered pipeline.

Conclusion

The alliance between Studio Ulster and Dell Technologies represents a pivotal step forward for both the studio and the wider Irish media landscape. By marrying Dell’s world‑class hardware and software ecosystem with Studio Ulster’s creative expertise and state‑of‑the‑art LED‑wall infrastructure, the partnership is set to deliver a virtual‑production workflow that is faster, more reliable, and more cost‑effective than ever before. The benefits ripple beyond the studio itself: local talent will receive advanced training, new jobs will be created, and Ireland will continue to strengthen its position as a global player in the entertainment industry.

As the media world increasingly embraces real‑time visual effects and immersive storytelling, the Studio Ulster‑Dell collaboration positions both organisations to be at the forefront of the next wave of cinematic innovation—underscoring the importance of strategic partnerships in an industry where technology, creativity and commerce intersect.